A Multi-Tiered Systems of Support is the delivery system for evidence-based instruction. Use these pre-created slides (with speaker notes) to support professional learning in your board or school. The presentation outlines key elements of MTSS.

Note that this resource is a Google Drive folder set to “view only.” To adapt the slides to meet your own students’ needs, please make a copy to your own Google Drive so you can modify (File > Make a copy > Entire presentation).

This site offers instructional activities for irregular and high frequency words. Not all words use the most common phoneme-grapheme correspondences, but most words are at least partially decodable. Many words appear so frequently in text that children need to learn them before they have been taught the necessary phoneme-grapheme correspondences. The resources on this site provide a range of options for you to teach such words.

Explore this "Dear Dr. Mooney" series. Find articles on:
- Phonology - What’s That Sound I Hear?
- Morphology - Teach Your Students to be Word Detectives
- Syntax - It’s All About Understanding the Formula for English
- Semantics - Your Words Mean More Than You Think They Do
- Pragmatics - Doing Things with Language

Each article provides information, implementation strategies and links to related resources.

Kindergarten - Blending Syllables - Week 1 - Teacher asks students to connect the two word parts of a word that she says separately, then repeat the word out loud. She gives correct answers.Week 4 - Teacher asks students to connect the two word parts of a word that she says separately, then repeat the word out loud.Week 7 - Teacher asks students to connect the two word parts of a word that she says separately, then repeat the word out loud. 

Kindergarten ELA - Isolating Final Sounds - Teacher says a word and asks student to say out loud, the last sound that is heard. 

Kindergarten ELA - Isolating Initial Sounds Week 3 - Teacher will say a word, asks student to repeat first sound. Week 6 - Teacher will say a word, asks student to repeat first sound. Week 9 - Teacher says two words: asks if the words start with the same sound.

Kindergarten ELA - SegmentingWeek 2 - The teacher says a word, student is asked to say the two parts - separately, out loud and with clapping. Week 5 - The teacher says a word, student is asked to say the two parts - separately and out loud. She introduces the word 'syllables".Week 8 -  The teacher says a word, student is asked to say the two parts - separately and out loud. Suggests slapping with the word parts.

Phonological awareness skills are important in order to develop good reading and spelling skills. Having good phonological awareness skills means that a child is able to manipulate sounds and words, or “play” with sounds and words. For example, you might ask your child to break the word “cat” into individual sounds: “c-a-t.”

Important: These skills deal with SOUNDS not letters. For example, /t/ represents the sound and not the letter name “tee.” You will not use any written or visual letters when working with phonological activities. These activities are done with listening and speaking only. Learning the letter names and their corresponding sounds is also very important but should be taught and practiced at a different time of the day.

This resource will have a weekly activity for your to work on with your child/student(s). It will include a handout with information and guidance, as well as a video to help support you and the learner.

CLICK THE WORDS "INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS" TO GET STARTED (do not click on view description).

Lalilo is an online tool for K, 1st and 2nd grade teachers and students. The Lalilo website is accessible on tablets, iPads and computers. Lalilo works in school environments or in a distance learning setting.

Through personalized exercises students work on adaptive exercises in phonics, word recognition, and comprehension.

Lalilo creates a playful, interactive world where students journey through different worlds, collecting badges and unlocking stories. The vocabulary-rich stories teach students about nature and animals in engaging and fun ways.

The site also offers data at-a-glance. Teachers can track whole class and individual progress. They can also assign specific lessons.

The Language Literacy Network (Wasowicz, 2021; 2024) highlights how spoken and written language processes work together to support reading and writing.

Based on 30+ years of research, it focuses on key areas like reading comprehension, writing, and word-level decoding.

Building on Dr. Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope model, it updates and expands the original framework to reflect recent findings, emphasizing the link between decoding, spelling, and the reciprocal nature of reading and writing.

Download the infographic!

Wasowicz, J. (2021, December 9). Re: The Language Literacy Network: Move over Reading Rope, make room for your better half…! [Electronic mailing list message]. SPELLTalk Listserv. https://lists.learningbydesign.com/mailman/listinfo/spelltalk

This downloadable document offers an extensive alphabetical list of Greek and Latin roots outlining: the root, meaning in English, language origin (Greek or Latin), etymology (root origin) and English examples.

This self-reflection tool is designed to ensure that teaching practices are aligned with Structure Literacy. The user is encouraged to note (by checking off the boxes) all areas they are currently putting into practice. The completed reflection can then be used with the principal or the leadership team to set targets for professional learning, professional growth, and/or a plan for Structured Literacy implementation.  The goal is to ensure all areas identified are implemented within the classroom. Adopted from The Reading League’s Curriculum Evaluation Tool https://www.thereadingleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Curriculum-Evaluation-Tool-August-2020.pdf

Plan and deliver effective Reading Comprehension mini-lessons with this downloadable PDF that outlines the lesson in a 4-step lesson architecture:
- Step l: INTRODUCTION: You (re)introduce the skill.
- Step 2: INSTRUCTION: You explain and demonstrate the skill.
- Step 3: INTERACTION: They experience the skill.
- Step 4: CLOSURE: You crystallize the skill.

Use the template to create effective reading comprehension mini-lessons in your classroom today!

The link offers information about how to purchase "The Comprehension Playbook" for various grade levels.

Have your students use the downloadable worksheet to mix and match morphemes to create words.

Fight Teacher Burn Out!!!!

Magic School AI has a chat bot similar to other popular AI sites, but what makes this site different is there are actually education-specific tools involved. MANY EDUCATIONAL TOOLS.

*You can even add specific Saskatchewan Outcomes (or other provinces/states) to many tools!

These include:
rubric maker
AI-resistant assignment suggestions
YouTube question generator
proofreader
conceptual understanding generator
science lab generator
student feedback tool
math spiral review generator *excellent for mastery learning and differentiation
unit planner
multi-step assignment generator
choice board creator
math story problems
exemplars and non-exemplars
vocab list generator
icebreakers
PBL generator
YouTube question generator
decodable text generator
teacher joke generator
text rewriter tool
diagnostic assessment generator
multiple choice quiz generator
coach's sports practice generator
informational text generator
data table analysis generator
e-mail family tool
3D science assessment generator
class newsletter tool
IEP suggestion generator
text translator tool
text dependent questions
reading quiz generator
common misconception generator
clear directions
text analysis assignment generator
text scaffolder tool
& more

& much more!

"This chart can be used to identify the most pressing need for instruction. For older students - start at the top and work your way down to find the lowest barrier skill. For younger students learning to read (Kindergarten and grade 1), start at the bottom and work your way up to find the next skill to teach."

This 15 minute video explores how to leverage mini lessons to have great impact on learning for your students. Templates are provided for planning mini lessons as well. Mini lessons truly change (and set you and your students up to win) the game.

This PDF is a downloadable lesson to accompany "A Monster at School" by Amanda Huneke.
The lesson includes the following literacy focuses:
- Reading comprehension (making predictions, making connections)
- Phonological awareness (rhyming words)
- Fluency (read with expression)

Consider following the author on Facebook for other ideas @ https://www.facebook.com/richards.lovingliteracy/

Enjoy these stories about the popular Moon Dogs characters doing activities at home.

Included are free resources to read and print at home. They support the teaching of the following spellings/sounds:
- 'ae', 'ee', 'ow', 'er', , , 'oo', 'ie', 'ar', ‘air’

Check for other great free resources on this website while you're there.